


you, me, a date

by noyabeans (snowdrops)



Series: you and i [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Domestic Fluff, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, hello there rarepair hell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-10
Updated: 2016-10-10
Packaged: 2018-08-20 15:09:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8253518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowdrops/pseuds/noyabeans
Summary: (alternatively titled: do you think this is a dramatic love story?)"Both our mums are breathing down our necks about going out and dating, at least we can honestly tell them that we're dating so they'll stop trying to match us with random strangers."Yaku and Noya decided to date, for a multitude of reasons including, but not limited to, getting their parents off their backs. Besides, if things got weird, they could always just go back to being friends. It would be fun and easy. At least, that was the plan.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday, Nishinoya Yuu ❤  
> I hope you're always healthy and happy.
> 
> -
> 
> While searching for a title after finishing this, I stumbled upon [Unexpectedly](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbeE6xDJR5I) by Jason Chen, which fits the story really well. Give it a listen.

>> mori  
>> can we get pizza for dinner?? havent had it in foreveeeeer

<< Didn’t we just have takeout yesterday?

>> yea but moriiiiiii

<< …Can’t you control your cravings  
<< We’re eating at home for the rest of the week.

>> mori youre the best!!!!!!  
>> see you in a bit  
>> im otw home now!!!  
>> dont order without me!!!

<< I already know what you're going to order, me ordering now would mean the food gets here faster

>> how dyou know what im gonna get?? what if i decide i want seafood today??

<< Do you want seafood? We could get that for a change.

>> ...  
>> FINE  
>> i want pepperoni with extra sauce and cheese

<< Told you. Any drinks?

>> pepsi pretty please!

<< See you. Get home safe.

* * *

"Hey, Mori, I've been thinking," Noya said, in between bites of pizza. Morisuke looked up from where he was refilling his cup of Pepsi.

"That's unusual. About what?"

"We should totally date!"

Morisuke blinked. "Come again?"

"You, me, a date," Noya said, gesturing between Morisuke and himself with a huge grin on his face like he'd just found the answer to the universe.

Okay, surely Morisuke was missing something here. "Mind explaining that a bit?"

"Well, see," Noya chewed on the crust thoughtfully, "you're single, I'm single, school's boring, we're good friends, so!"

God, Noya sounded like he'd just solved a particularly complicated calculus question. Typical of his lack of situational appropriateness, Morisuke thought to himself.

"No," he said, punctuating the word with a loud gulp of his drink. "I'm not particularly interested in dating my horror housemate."

"Hey, that's mean!" Morisuke could hear the pout in his voice. "But really, Mori, why not? Both our mums are breathing down our necks about going out and dating, at least we can honestly tell them that we're dating so they'll stop trying to match us with random strangers!"

"I'm quite sure our mums want us to date girls," Morisuke said, eyebrow raised.

Noya waved vaguely. "You don't have to tell them that you're dating me, yanno? Just say you're dating, testing the waters, at least you won't be lying. No need to be so specific, just let them know you're unavailable for matchmaking sessions."

“Let me think about it,” Morisuke relented. Noya was annoyingly persuasive when he got logical. Already Morisuke could feel himself wanting to agree. "What's the catch?"

"What catch?" Noya looked puzzled.

"Terms and conditions, fine print, whatever?"

"Oh, I didn't think that far," Noya said, reaching for his third? fourth? fifth? slice of pizza. Morisuke had stopped keeping track after the first. "I guess we gotta have an end date? Like, maybe a year?"

“I don’t like sharing,” Morisuke said a moment later. “If you like someone else if we having this thing, we’ll have to end it.”

"Sure, ‘s fine by me, I don’t like sharing either," Noya beamed, mouth full of pizza. "Just, if it gets awkward or anything we can always go back to being friends and pretend it never happened! And if you don't want to do it it's fine, really."

Morisuke knew that Noya meant it, and he was grateful.

"Got it," he said. "Anyway, do you want to catch that Korean zombie movie this weekend? Kuroo told me it's worth a watch."

"Oh! Chikara mentioned it to me, he said it was good! And if Chikara says it's good that means it's really really good! When are you free? Let's go!"

Just like that, everything returned to normal as though the conversation had never happened.

* * *

Morisuke only allowed himself to fully ponder it when he'd closed his bedroom door behind him. Sure, Noya was attractive and had a magnetic personality, but he certainly hadn't ever considered dating Noya, who was easily the closest out of all his friends - entertaining thoughts of dating Noya would just unnecessarily jeopardise their friendship.

But now that Noya had pulled the idea out of the closet, he could see why it was a good idea: a no-strings-attached relationship with the option to quit any time. Nothing much would change, Morisuke figured. They already spent most of their time together anyway. His parents would be pleased that he was dating, and stop trying to set him up for blind dates with the neighbour's friend's cousin's daughter. He still hadn't figured out how to tell them about his sexuality. But well, he'd worry about that in due time.

All in all, he had to admit that Noya's idea wasn’t that bad. They'd probably have to iron out the minor details, but Morisuke couldn't find any particularly compelling argument to reject it.

* * *

 Next morning saw Noya drag himself into the kitchen and melt onto the chair while Morisuke made breakfast. It was routine by now - Morisuke had already made Noya's morning coffee, placed it in the usual spot and left it to cool.

"Morning," he greeted quietly - Noya had slept late last night, judging from the 4.48am text he'd received to 'wake me up if i'm not up by 8.30, midterm at 10.30 tomorrow'.

"I feel like death," Noya moaned. "I hate stats."

"Pick your poison," Morisuke snorted. "You shouldn't have tried to cram it all in a single night."

"Ugh, it's too early for you to lecture me, Mori. Have mercy!"

Morisuke clucked his tongue as he placed the plate in front of Noya, who immediately sat up, all exhaustion forgotten. "Bacon! Mori you're the best! Just like you to know how much bacon motivates me on a midterm day!"

"We've been living together for two years, of course I would know," Morisuke said with fond exasperation. "Anyway, I'm meeting Kuroo and Kai for dinner, so you'll have to settle your own."

"Maaaaaaan, okay," Noya whined. "I'll probably finish up some work in school before I come back then."

"Don't be too late."

"Yes, mum."

"Don't think that just because you have a midterm today, I won't throw this frying pan at you."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Mori," Noya grinned.

* * *

"I'm home," Morisuke said, kicking off his shoes and walking into the house. The acknowledgment of "Welcome back" came from the coffee table, where Noya was currently concentrating fiercely on his work.

"How was your paper?" Morisuke asked as he pulled off his jacket and put down his bag.

"Pretty good. They tested some of the things that Chikara and Hisashi helped me with, so it wasn’t too bad."

"Good," Morisuke settled on saying after a long pause. Noya was scribbling away and jabbing at buttons on his calculator, so Morisuke wasn't even sure he heard. Instead, he entered the kitchen and opened the fridge, calling over to Noya, "Want a drink?"

"Yeah, hold on, let me finish this-"

A few more hasty scrawls and Noya leapt to his feet to join him in the kitchen and grab the drink from Morisuke. "Thanks, Mori."

"I thought about what you said last night."

The can stopped, inches from Noya's lips. "And?"

"Well, I'd like to give it a try." Considering the oddity of the situation, Morisuke gave himself a clap on the back for how composed he sounded. "Should we, I don’t know... lay out some ground rules?"

"Always so formal, Mori," Noya laughed, as he grabbed Morisuke by the hand and pulled him back to sit down at the coffee table.

* * *

**The NOYAKU contract**

(WHY IS MY NAME BEHIND?)

(combination names are so cool!)

  1. Contract expires on 31 October 2017.
  2. If either of us likes someone else and wants to date the other person, the contract is termited. (terminated, can you not spell?)
  3. We can just return to being friends if it gets too weird. No problem there, this is just for fun anyway.
  4. We pay for our own meals unless otherwise stated.
  5. Not necessary to meet family members if uncomfortable.
  6. No clubbing on weekdays. (what, Mori!!!)  (i don't want to be responsible for your drunk ass lightweight self)
  7. Try not to fall in love? ( _p l e a s e, do you think this is a dramatic love story_ ) (hey, what’s there not to love about me, huh Mori!)



Signed: Yaku Morisuke | Nishinoya Yuu

Date: 3 October 2016

* * *

“Are we really going to hang this contract up on the living room wall, Noya?”

“It’s like one of those marriage certificates, you know?”

“This isn’t even a marriage certificate, it’s a fake relationship contract! And anyway, nobody _hand writes_ a marriage certificate, and certainly not with your awful math-student script!”

“Mori, you’re so cruel!”

* * *

Just as Morisuke predicted, nothing much changed. He still made breakfast and coffee for Noya in the mornings, and Noya cooked dinner after class or ordered delivery when he was in the mood. He still helped give Noya spelling practice for his Chinese classes, and Noya listened to him rant about the psychology professor’s latest ridiculous idea that had eaten away a full hour of class time.

The biggest difference was probably in the little things -  having Noya walk closer to him, bumping shoulders now and then, stealing his food more often, calling him after class so that they could go home together. Sometimes they dressed up and went out on dates to their usual haunts - Noya’s favourite ramen restaurant, Morisuke’s favourite sushi place. Other times they just went together to familiar places like the cafe down the road, or to the supermarket to pick up groceries. The changes weren’t big, just minor adjustments to their daily routines.   

It was... _nice_ , Morisuke had to admit. It'd been a long time since he'd felt this happy. Not that he wasn't before, but it was a different kind of happy - the kind that made him feel special. It felt good, having someone to look good for (even if it was Noya) and having someone to bounce ideas off when he was in a creative rut in the middle of the night.

It did feel like they were dating for real, except they both knew they weren’t.

* * *

“You’re _what_?” Morisuke had to stop himself from laughing at the look on Kuroo’s face. Kai, to his credit, didn’t even bat an eyelid.

“I’m dating Noya,” he repeated, his words laced with sarcasm. “Was that so hard to understand?”

“Okay, what am I missing out here? _Why_ are you dating Noya? I didn’t even know you were interested in him.”

Morisuke smirked. “Quoting him, _I’m single, he’s single, school’s boring, we’re good friends, so why not?_ ”

“So just because you’re bored, you’re dating for fun? Never thought it of you,” Kuroo said, having regained his composure somewhat.

* * *

Two months into the contract, they were walking home from the cafe after a casual date out. The air was crisp and chilly, autumn on the cusp of winter. Wrapped up in their coats, Morisuke could feel the burning question that Noya was evidently struggling to contain - he’d been more restless than usual throughout dinner.

“You can tell me anything, you know,” he said after a while, the sound of leaves crackling underfoot. He turned to look at Noya, who was strangely silent and apparently avoiding eye contact. He would have been worried, but Noya hesitantly looked up just then.

“Mori,” Noya murmured, sounding almost shy. “Can I… hold your hand?”

The blood rushed to Morisuke’s face so quickly, he felt his cheeks burn. It wasn’t that he hadn’t held hands with anyone before, and it wasn’t like he and Noya hadn’t hugged before, but holding hands with Noya felt intimate, almost as though they were a real couple.

“Like, you know, I figured since we’re dating, even though it’s not _real_ real dating, but when people date they hold hands, so -”

Well, at least he wasn’t the only one feeling unsure about this. Morisuke pulled his hand out from where he’d stuffed it in his coat, and grabbed Noya’s, feeling how it fit against his own. Noya was scarlet by now, but he curled his own gloved fingers around Morisuke’s.

“We never speak of this again,” Morisuke said, face as red as Noya’s. He could just barely feel the warmth of Noya’s fingers through the wool of his gloves.

* * *

The Nekoma alumni (plus Bokuto and Akaashi, courtesy of one Kuroo Tetsurou) gathered every Christmas to catch up and play a few casual matches against one another; this year was no different. Morisuke had brought Noya along for this year’s, since they were all friends and Noya hadn’t seen most of the Nekoma team ever since he visited them for Kenma’s high school graduation.

With Shibayama pursuing his studies overseas, it was rare that the Nekoma meetups were graced with the presence of two liberos, so they were automatically split up: Noya joined Akaashi, Bokuto and Lev, while Morisuke was on Kuroo, Kenma and Inuoka’s team.

“Battle of the boyfriends, huh,” Kuroo teased when he walked up to the two liberos, who were helping each other warm up at the side of the court.

“I’m going to win,” Noya said, puffing out his chest. “I’ll get more receives than Mori does!”

Morisuke snorted. “Try me.”

“I’m gonna win,” Noya repeated, a few stretches later. He was wearing the expression that Morisuke fondly called Noya’s volleyball face: the one that was equal parts quiet excitement and steely confidence.

“Loser treats for the next date,” Morisuke returned easily.

“Deal,” Noya said, reaching out to give Morisuke’s hand a quick squeeze just as the whistle blew. “Let’s have fun.”

Morisuke squeezed back, then jogged over to join his team, ignoring the way Kuroo smirked at him.

* * *

“So, Noya-san, what kind of boyfriend is Yaku-san?”

At the sound of his name, Morisuke whipped his head around from where he was talking with Akaashi to glare at Lev, who didn’t even have the decency to look fazed. Apparently, the news that they were dating had spread quickly around the team, since nobody looked surprised. On the contrary, everybody seemed interested to know the answer.

“Mori’s _really_ sweet,” Noya declared, beaming. Morisuke resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands - _how_ did Noya always say things like that so easily? “He always says he’s not but he makes sure I get up on time for class, stays up late with me if I’m doing calculus ‘cos he knows I hate it, gets a box of Gari-Gari for me when he goes grocery shopping even though he says it’s unhealthy -”

“ _Noya,_ ” Morisuke hissed, face burning. His ex-teammates were all wearing shit-eating grins as they turned to look at him. Even Akaashi was smiling a bit. “Please stop.”

“Never knew you were such a romantic, Yakkun,” Kuroo drawled, smirking. “I’m almost jealous of Noya.”

“The only thing you’ll be jealous of is his face after I punch yours,” Morisuke snapped. He knew he wasn’t fooling anyone, but resorting to violence and sarcasm was his usual way of coping with situations like this.

Kai took pity on Morisuke’s plight just then and redirected the conversation away to Inuoka, who was hogging all the potato chips. Morisuke made a mental note to thank him later, but that thought was abruptly halted when he locked eyes with Noya across the room, over the chatter that was quickly filling up the space between them.

Noya was wearing a small smile that Morisuke had never seen before. It was as though Noya knew something he didn’t, some sort of secret Morisuke wasn’t privy to. His eyes were so soft and so bright, Morisuke felt a little breathless just looking at him.

* * *

On the last day of the year, they brought out the alcohol since it had been a while since they drank - “It’s a special day!” Noya had announced, and Morisuke had agreed - and that was how they found themselves seated in front of the television, watching the Kohaku, Noya curled up against Morisuke’s side. They were laughing at the gag performers, staring in awe at the singing and dancing and the acrobatics, and all too soon it was a minute to midnight.

Noya leapt to his feet, his face illuminated by the luminescence of the television screen, grin stretching wide across his face. As he counted down (more like yelling out numbers, really) to the final ten seconds, he turned towards Morisuke and yelled: “Two! One! Happy Ne-”

And that wish of a happy new year was swallowed by Morisuke, who’d reached over and covered Noya’s lips with his own. He’d meant for it to just be a quick peck, but the next thing he knew, he was discovering how Noya’s mouth tasted of whiskey and coke, warm and sweet. Morisuke had never known a kiss could feel this good. When they pulled away, breathless, both of them were blushing hard, much to Morisuke’s embarrassment. Kissing Noya was addictive, in a way that had nothing to do with the alcohol, and he wanted to do it again -

Then, as though someone had dumped a bucket of ice water on him, the spell broke and he realised that he hadn't even asked Noya for permission. Horror set in: had he overstepped whatever lines they had drawn? They’d never explicitly discussed… _kissing_ before. But before he could force himself away from Noya, apology on the tip of his tongue, Noya pulled him back for another kiss.

When they finally broke apart, Noya found his voice first, colour high on his cheeks: “Wow, Mori, you know, I don’t even like kissing that much, but that was -"  
  
"Wow," Morisuke echoed dazedly.

* * *

“By the way,” Morisuke said out of the blue one February morning as they were eating breakfast. “Are you free on the 12th? It’s a Friday so you don’t have class, right?”

Noya hummed as he pulled out his phone calendar. “Yeah, why? D’you have something planned?”

“Yeah, I was thinking we could go somewhere to celebrate Valentine’s early.”

Noya’s eyes visibly lit up with anticipation and excitement, and Morisuke found his heart warm at the sight.

“I knew you were a romantic, Mori! Where d’you wanna go?”

“It’s a surprise,” Morisuke smirked. “Just keep the 12th free and you’ll find out.”

* * *

“Seriously!? I knew you were planning something, but _Disneyland_?! With _FastPasses_? Mori, you didn’t have to!” Noya said as he looked up in awe at the theme park spread out before them, as though they’d just walked into a fairytale.

“I didn’t have to, but I wanted to,” Morisuke corrected. “I earned some extra money from the part time job last month, I can afford this at least. And anyway, why are you complaining? I know you’ve been wanting to come here for a long time.”

Without another word, Noya turned towards him with a blinding smile. The next thing he knew, he’d been pulled in for a kiss. Just the fact that Noya had initiated the kiss caught Morisuke off guard, before he was hit by the realization that they were in _public_ , with little children everywhere.

He should probably have felt more embarrassed, but to heck with the children, he decided as he lingered on Noya’s lips for a moment longer before pulling away to say, “C’mon, let’s go to the Grand Circuit.”

* * *

“Hey, Noya, you sure you meet the height limit for this ride?”

“ _Mori,_ you’re the worst.”

“I’m not.”

“Yea, you’re not.”  

* * *

“I never thought I’d end up seeing you again under such circumstances,” Sugawara said with a smile. Morisuke returned the gesture with a shrug.

“Neither did I,” he confessed. “It was all his idea, really.”

This time, Noya had dragged Morisuke out to spend some time with his high school friends. Sawamura was graduating, and most of the old Karasuno team had made time to come over to Tokyo for the ceremony and meet up - being scattered all over the country, they hadn’t been able to organize a team gathering in a long while.

Not seeing each other for a long time apparently didn’t mean that the Karasuno team was left out of their ex-libero’s shenanigans, though. For the better half of the day, Morisuke had been grilled with questions by various members of the team about their current dating arrangement - Sugawara was no different, though he’d been kind enough to ask when the two of them were seated together during dinner, slightly apart from the rest of the rambunctious group.

“What do you think of him? It’s been almost half a year, right?”

Morisuke bit his lip as he watched Noya fight with Hinata for the last piece of sushi, Tanaka egging them on, before Sawamura, looking as all-suffering as he had back in high school, gave up and ordered another plate.

He thought of many things: Noya and him having their first argument over something so ridiculously _domestic_ \- “Why can’t you do the dishes for once?! It’s always me!” “What??? I just did them yesterday!” “You’re not the only one who’s got finals, you know?” - then waking up to find breakfast on the table the next morning even though Noya had an 8am class that day. Noya ordering stir-fried vegetables whenever they got Chinese takeout, even though he didn’t particularly like them. Noya accompanying him to the tailor’s to order a formal suit when his older sister had gotten married, then saying “You look so handsome in that, Mori!” without a second thought - Morisuke had been sure his face was red enough to rival the Nekoma jacket after hearing that.

“Yeah,” he said, picking his words with care - even though they weren’t in high school anymore, Sugawara was still scary when it came to his kouhai. “He’s… intense. He treats dating like he plays volleyball - never by halves, always with everything he’s got. Even when we fight, he still listens to what I have to say… and he’s always the first one to apologize.

“You know how he is, he wears his heart on his sleeve, and sometimes I feel undeserving since we’re not -” he paused, as if to elaborate, but decided against it with a shake of his head. “Whoever he dates in the future… is really lucky.”

Sugawara was looking at him with an indecipherable expression, but nodded. “It’s good that there’s someone to take care of him. I’m glad for the two of you.”

Morisuke had the nagging feeling that Sugawara wasn’t saying something, but instead smiled wryly. “Well, it’s just a temporary arrangement.” He returned his gaze to Noya, who was now inhaling a bowl of kaisendon that had appeared next to him.

Used to this by now, he just groaned. “Noya, didn’t I already tell you not to eat like that, you’re gonna choke, and food like that is _expensive_ ,can’t you just appreciate it a bit more than just breathing it in?”

“Mmrrfngh?” Noya looked up at him, looking positively like a chipmunk with all the rice that he’d stuffed into his mouth.

Resigned to his fate, Morisuke sighed.

* * *

>> mori  
>> wheres the meds?? nt feeling too good, everythings hot and cold

<< Thermometer’s in the medicine cupboard, think there’s no more fever meds at home.  
<< Don’t go to class, I’ll come back with lunch and meds.  
<< Go back to bed and try to rest. Be back in an hour.  
<< Remember blankets.

>> ok

* * *

Morisuke furrowed his brow. Noya always fell sick in summer, but it’d never been so bad that he needed to take medicine before. Usually he would sleep it off and be back to normal within a day, so the very fact that Noya had asked for medicine was more than a bit worrying.

Once his linguistics class was over, he sprinted down to the faculty’s food court and got lunch - chicken soup for Noya and noodles for himself. Ideally, he would make the chicken soup for Noya himself, but Noya probably hadn’t had anything to eat the whole day and needed to eat.

* * *

<< I can’t make it for Astro class later, mind helping me take notes?

>> How unlike you to skip, Yakkun Σ(゜゜)

<< Noya’s sick.

>> Tell him to get well soon ଲ(ⓛ ω ⓛ)ଲ  
>> I’ll Dropbox you the notes later

<< Thanks, Kuroo.

* * *

Noya managed to finish most of the soup, much to Morisuke’s relief. It was testament to how uncomfortable Noya was feeling that he’d taken the fever medicine without complaint, and was now lying in Morisuke’s lap, pale and drowsy. Noya’s hair was matted against his forehead, and Morisuke found himself pushing it away from his eyes.

“Let’s get you to bed, Noya,” he said at last, earning a small whine of protest from Noya. “My lap isn’t that comfortable for you to sleep on.”

“Wh’dunyou call me Yuu,” mumbled Noya, words slurring together in his exhaustion. “Haven’we known each other lon’enough, ‘sbeen three ‘urs.”

Morisuke flushed when he managed to decipher what Noya was saying - he’d thought about calling Noya by his given name before, but had felt that it was necessary to keep… a distance. But with Noya now so tired and miserable, he decided to indulge him a bit.

“Y-Yuu,” he tried, cursing internally at how he stuttered. “Yuu, then.” The name settled on his tongue, warm and soft.

Noy - _Yuu_ smiled tiredly. “Soun’s nice when you say it.”

“Yuu, really, bed,” Morisuke said, choosing to ignore the tendrils of heat prickling at the base of his neck.

“Wimme,” Yuu insisted, allowing himself to be tugged into a standing position anyway. He slumped over Morisuke, who let out a huff.

After gently unloading Yuu onto his bed, he flopped down as well - it wasn’t the first time he’d entered Yuu’s room, nor was it the first time he lay on Yuu’s bed. It _was_ , however, the first time he was in Yuu’s bed _with_ Yuu.

Yuu curled up to Morisuke’s chest, his breathing evening out after a while. Morisuke couldn’t bring himself to move away and disturb him, so instead settled to watch the rise and fall of Yuu’s chest, the other’s body a feverish warmth against his own.

And then Morisuke realized the word he would use to describe Yuu - beautiful. Yuu was beautiful, even with his hair down and skin burning with fever.

With that realization, a weight settled heavy and ominous in his chest, as did a thought: _I’m in love with this guy_. Shit.

Why had he thought this would be a good idea, that “nothing much would change”? Everything had changed, nothing was the same now. And Morisuke realized, he really should have expected this, because when it came to Yuu, even his best-made plans were wont to fail.

* * *

Now hyper-aware of Yuu’s presence in his life, Morisuke woke up one morning to a mess in his pants and Yuu’s name on his lips. He rubbed his hands over his face in frustration - what was he, sex-deprived? A hormonal teenager? Exasperated, he pulled himself to the bathroom, trying to wash off the feeling of guilt: he’d broken a condition of their contract, but Yuu didn’t need to know.

He’d not called Yuu by his given name again after the fever incident, and ever since then, they hadn’t been able to go on many dates. A weekly meal out at a restaurant or cafe was now pretty much all, since Yuu’s volleyball practice had been picking up in intensity due to the tournament.

Yuu never asked him to attend his matches, but Morisuke always made time to go down when he could. Beyond his own conflicted feelings for Yuu, the libero part of him genuinely enjoyed watching Yuu play - from the stands, he could see why Karasuno had called him their guardian deity; for someone so small, Yuu had the presence of a giant when he was on the court.

Sometimes, if Yuu spotted him in the stands, he’d flash a huge grin and a victory fist. Other times, Morisuke would just observe how he carried himself - steady and confident, never a misstep.

“You’re so whipped,” Kuroo snickered, earning himself a half-hearted punch from Morisuke.

Between their conflicting schedules, they barely spent any time together for almost a month, until August rolled around and Yuu walked into his room in the middle of the night while he was in the midst of rushing a major presentation.

“Hey, Mori, I’m bringing you out for dinner on your birthday so keep it free for me, yea?”  

“Sure.”

He marked it down on the calendar, though there was really no need to - like it or not, Yuu was already an integral part of his life.

* * *

Dinner with Yuu turned out to be a candlelit dinner at an upscale seafood restaurant that overlooked the cityscape. It was a view he’d never seen before, the way the night gradually crept up upon the tall buildings of Tokyo, a cover of darkness approaching the city. From here, he could see the neon of the city and the glow of headlights far, far away down below. It was nothing short of breathtaking.

Beyond that, he was also stunned at where they had ended up: Yuu had told him to _dress up nicely, it’s a date_ , but he certainly hadn’t expected to be coming to somewhere as grand as this.

Yuu just laughed at the shock on his face. “There’s always a first for everything, right? I thought it’d be nice if we had a candlelight dinner at least once. And you’ve been looking so stressed out, I wanted to bring you out and give you a good treat for working so hard. I hear their oysters are really good!”

Weakly, Morisuke nodded, touched and ashamed all at once: while he was busy running from his feelings for Yuu, Yuu was still intent on making him happy.

“Thank you, Noya.”

Under the table, he reached for and clasped Yuu’s hand. It was a familiar grip by now, but he squeezed Yuu’s hand anyway, hoping the other could understand: _I’m so lucky, and so incredibly stupid. Why did I have to fall in love with you?_

* * *

“The sports club’s hosting a post-season celebration for all the teams at Club 21 next week, so I’ll be late home on Friday,” Yuu said one day, as they were taking a break from their schoolwork at the coffee table. “Or, I dunno, I was thinking of dropping by Ryuu’s since it’s closer than here.”

Something twinged uncomfortably in Morisuke’s stomach. The thought of Yuu being in a club with a bunch of unfamiliar people didn’t sit well with him at all. Sure, Morisuke was more than aware that Yuu knew how to take care of himself, but the fact was still that he was physically smaller than a lot of other athletes. If someone tried to take advantage of Yuu, the odds were stacked against him. Something must have shown in his face, because Yuu, looking concerned, leaned in closer.

“Mori?”

“Could you not go?” he asked, hating how insecure and small his voice sounded against the silence of the room. Yuu’s brow creased in confusion.

“Why?”

 _Because I don’t want a random stranger getting their hands on you_ , he thought morosely.  Instead, he said, “You’re going to overdrink and I’m going to have to deal with your morning hangover.”

Ever quick-tempered, Yuu’s face immediately darkened and he scowled. “You’re not my mum, Mori. I can take care of myself.”

“Taking care of yourself doesn’t mean you control how much you drink, especially when you’re with your friends,” Morisuke bit out. It was true, to a certain extent. Being as competitive as he was, Yuu tended to drink more than was wise when his friends egged him on.

“Then I’ll just go over to Ryuu’s since you don’t want to deal with my drunk ass. Why do you care so much anyway? We’re not even dating for real,” Yuu retorted, then his eyes went wide, as though he was shocked at what he’d just said.  

Feeling like he’d just been slapped, Morisuke clenched his jaw. “I’m going with you to the club,” he said instead in a tone of finality that brooked no argument.

Suddenly subdued, Yuu didn’t say anything else. He picked up his laptop and went back into his room, shutting the door behind him.

Morisuke tried to forget that they’d not closed their room doors on each other since the year started, and tried to think past the sinking feeling that he’d been shut out by Yuu. And if being shut out felt awful, then the echo of Yuu’s words in his ears made him feel like drowning. _Why do you care so much anyway? We’re not even dating for real_.

He really should have known better, Morisuke thought, gritting his teeth.

* * *

They were cordial to each other for the rest of the week. It was cold, and Morisuke hated every moment of it. It was the first time they’d had such a serious argument, and Morisuke wondered for a split second if this was just preparation for the end of their contract, since October was fast approaching.

And if anything, Yuu’s words had just knocked him back to reality: like he'd expected, he was the only one feeling this way.

* * *

Come Friday as they were preparing to leave for the club, Morisuke was thrown at how good Yuu looked in his plain white shirt with a casual blue blazer thrown over and khaki chinos. He’d never been good at compliments, but something about how Yuu looked just made the words slip out.

“You, uh, look good,” he said, rubbing his neck awkwardly.

Yuu flashed him a grin. “Thanks, Mori. Hey, uh -” he swallowed, expression sombering. “I’m sorry. For what I said. I know you were just concerned, and I shouldn’t have lashed out at you like that. I mean, I really enjoy being with you. It wasn’t fair of me to say what I did.”

There was guilt laid bare in Yuu’s clear eyes, and Morisuke couldn’t find it in himself to stay angry anymore, not that he had truly been angry at Yuu, just _hurt_.

“Don’t worry about it,” he opted to say, reaching out to grab Yuu’s hand, instinctively linking their fingers together. “Let’s go.”

* * *

They got back at two that night, anger and fight long forgotten, the taste of champagne on their lips and laughter spilling out of their mouths. Neither of them were wasted, just exhausted and buzzed from the alcohol. Somehow, they tumble-stumbled into Yuu’s bed together, and fell asleep like that, fully clothed, Morisuke’s arm curled around Yuu’s waist and blankets tangled around them.

* * *

Yuu insisted on spending his birthday at home, and Morisuke obliged. Living with Yuu for three years meant he knew exactly what Yuu liked, so he cooked all of Yuu’s favourite food and agreed to watch Yuu’s favourite movie with him for the sixth time. Needless to say, Yuu was delighted, especially when he saw the chocolate fudge cake Morisuke had spent the whole day baking.

When it was time to blow the candles, Morisuke put on his best news anchor voice impression. “Noya, make your wish.”

“Don’t ever leave me, Mori!” Yuu declared with a big smile, heartstoppingly endearing. Not for the first time, Morisuke felt his heart skip at how Yuu looked, face illuminated by the flickering candlelight.

“You’re stuck with me until our rental lease ends,” Morisuke deadpanned, trying to ignore the possible _other_ meaning Yuu might have had in saying that. End October was coming soon, and he couldn’t afford to lose himself in thoughts like that.

Yuu closed his eyes, and blew out all the candles with a flourish.

* * *

“Seriously, just tell him,” Kuroo said halfway through their morning lecture. Morisuke glared at him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Do you really think it’s a one-sided thing going on here?”

“He’s never shown any signs of being interested in me.”

“You’re so blind when you want to be, Yakkun.”

* * *

With the days to 31 October reducing in number, Morisuke found himself trying to spend as much time with Yuu as possible, which was ridiculous because they _lived_ together, for goodness’ sake -

And maybe he held Yuu’s hand a bit tighter than he usually did, maybe he kissed Yuu a bit fiercer than usual, but Yuu never said anything and so neither did he.

* * *

_‘Dear Noya,_

~~_I’m so thankful_ ~~

~~_Thank you for the past one year_ ~~

~~_Thank you_ ~~

~~_This past year’s been nothing short of amazing_ ~~

~~_I’m really glad_ ~~

~~_Even though I ended up falling in_ ~~

_I just want you to know that making that decision last October was the best decision of my life.’_

“Fuck,” Morisuke groaned. Nothing he wrote could encompass everything he wanted to say to Yuu. Not for the first time, he wondered what would happen if he just took Kuroo’s suggestion and told Yuu his feelings.

 _It’ll probably end in disaster, then I’d have to move out of here and lose him_. Not a good decision. Morisuke could live with heartbreak, but not without Yuu.

* * *

Then came 31st October, the day on the calendar circled red, a glaring reminder of The End. Everything was as per normal - they went out on their last “official” lunch date to the ramen restaurant down the road, bickered over which snacks to buy (two boxes of Gari-Gari and a discount pack of potato chips, plus Morisuke’s favourite wasabi-flavoured seaweed that always had Yuu scrunching his nose in disgust) and just like that one day a year ago, ordered pizza for dinner. Morisuke was sitting on the couch, just an arm’s length from Yuu, watching the other as he tapped away at the calculator.

He felt… conflicted. Tomorrow, he would wake up and pretend that Yuu was back to just his best friend, housemate, what-have-you. And Morisuke knew he _couldn’t_. They weren’t _just_ best friends and housemates anymore. Not to him, at least.

“Yuu,” he said at last, ending the silence that had grown so thick and stifling, it might as well have been suffocating. Yuu looked up, evidently surprised at the use of his first name. The weight of his gaze settled on Morisuke, warm and searching, but Morisuke didn’t dare look up, too mortified by what he was about to say next.

If he screwed this up - he didn’t even want to think about the consequences. For a split second, he wondered: since when had he become so vulnerable that he could allow his whole world to teeter on the pivot of a question?

“What if - what if I say I don’t want the contract to end?” And summoning all the courage he had, remembering everything that had made him fall in love with Yuu at first, from his wide smile to his determination to his general intensity of existence, he finally brought himself to meet Yuu’s eyes. They were just as bright and soft as they had been last Christmas, when they were sitting in a room with a bunch of Nekoma alumni, a curious small smile dancing on Yuu’s lips.  

Yuu held his gaze steady, and without missing a beat, answered: “I would say yes.” And in that same breath, he crossed the small distance between the two of them and pulled Morisuke in for a kiss.

 

**end**

**Author's Note:**

>  **OMAKE:**  
>  “See, I was right, wasn’t I?”  
> “Finally! We thought it was never going to happen!”  
> “Shut up, Kuroo. Suga-san, I like you a lot, but please don’t encourage him.”  
> “You wound me, Yakkun.”
> 
> -
> 
> Thank you to Mar and Gunny for being my betas.  
> This story came to me at 3am in the morning and I spent the better part of a week working on it; I've never written this much fluff in my life before, but somehow Yakunoya made it really easy for me and I really enjoyed it.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Constructive criticism would be appreciated.
> 
> Scream with me about Yakunoya here:  
> [tumblr](https://rielity.tumblr.com/) | [twitter](https://twitter.com/noyabeans)


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